Lipids

• Lipids are fats, oils, waxes, and steroids
• Most lipids are hydrophobic and contain little oxygen
• The two main parts of a lipid are the fatty acid and the three carbon glycerol molecule
• Fatty acids are a long chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms
• 3 carbon Glycerol molecule (alcohol) holds the lipid together
• Lipids use a covalent bond called an Ester Linkage to hold the fatty acids and glycerol together
• Triglycerols/Triglycerides are your basic fats or oils
• Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms. They have no open bonds to put any more Hydrogen on. There are no carbon bonds in these chains
• Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are usually associated with animals
• Unsaturated fats contain some carbon-carbon double or triple bonds that "could be broken" to add more hydrogen to the fatty acid
• Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature and they are usually associated with plants
• Polyunsaturated fats have many double or triple bonds in their fatty acid chains
• Hydrogenated or trans fats are oils turned into solid fats by adding hydrogen and by breaking the double or triple bonds in the fatty acids
• Trans fats are common in processed foods